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Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Rights defenders denounce US sanctions on UN expert on Palestinians
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo GENEVA - Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top U.N. expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel. Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues. She has long criticised Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some U.S. firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the U.S. sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course. "Even in the face of fierce disagreement, U.N. Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said. Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the U.N. who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business S'pore to launch new grant for companies, expand support for workers amid US tariff uncertainties Singapore Spike in piracy, armed robbery cases in straits of Malacca and Singapore in first half of 2025 Singapore Singaporean fugitive charged over alleged drug trafficking, faces death penalty if convicted Singapore KTPH trials 'smart diapers' for adult patients to prevent skin conditions, relieve burden on nurses Singapore PSP's CEC renewal shows its commitment to being a reasonable alternative choice, says Stephanie Tan World 'Do some homework': 6 key exchanges between US Senator Duckworth and S'pore envoy nominee Sinha Singapore Singapore launches centre to drive sustainable aviation in Asia-Pacific Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the U.S. lead. "This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on U.N. system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this." Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list. Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide. Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023. "The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch. The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the U.S. sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza". The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias. REUTERS
UPI
4 days ago
- Business
- UPI
Hims & Hers to bring generic semaglutide to Canada
epa10538868 A package of prescribtion drug Wegovy by Novo Nordisk sits on a table in Copenhagen, Denmark, 23 March 2023. US celebrities have credited their weight loss to the FDA-approved medications that are prescribed to treat Type 2 diabetes. EPA-EFE/Ida Marie Odgaard DENMARK OUT July 9 (UPI) -- The Hims & Hers wellness platform announced Wednesday it will soon offer a generic version of the weight loss drug semaglutide in Canada as Novo Nordisk's patent on its branded version, known as Wegovy, will soon expire. Hims & Hers also said in a press release Wednesday that it acquired the European digital health platform ZAVA, which carries Wegovy. Novo Nordisk declared last month it had stopped allowing Hims & Hers to sell Wegovy in its pharmacy due to allegations of "disseminating deceptive marketing" and mass sales of compounded drugs under the pretense of "personalization." However, with ZAVA, Hims & Hers can better reach across markets, and reports it plans to bring semaglutides in Canada. "Our planned expansion into Canada proves our commitment to bringing modern, effective care to those who need it most," said Hims & Hers GM International David Meinertz. "Making affordable, holistic obesity treatment accessible has the potential to help strengthen the local healthcare system and unlock the potential for millions of Canadians to live healthier, more fulfilling lives." There is currently no generic version of semaglutide approved by the Canadian health agency for sale, but the approval process for companies is underway. As for why Novo would allow its patents to expire, a spokesperson told CNBC that all intellectual property decisions are "carefully considered," and that "periods of exclusivity for pharmaceutical products end as part of their normal life cycle and generic treatments may become available over time." Novo lost its Canadian patent after its lawyers requested a refund for the 2017 patent maintenance fee because the company wanted more time to see if it wanted to pay the required $185. Two years later, Novo had still failed to pay and the Canadian government let the patent lapse in 2020. The 2024 Canadian semaglutide market generated $1.18 billion in revenue, and is expected to surpass $4 billion by 2035, according to market research firm Grand View Research.
UPI
23-06-2025
- Business
- UPI
Novo Nordisk ends collaboration with Hims & Hers
Novo Nordisk said it's ending its collaboration due to concerns with Hims & Hers the company's sales and promotion of cheap knock-offs of the weight loss drug Wegovy. Photo by Ida Marie Odgaard/EPA-EFE June 23 (UPI) -- Novo Nordisk announced Monday it has ended its partnership with Hims & Hers over its sale and promotion of cheaper versions of its weight loss drug Wegovy. The company said in a press release that Hims & Hers failed to follow law "prohibiting mass sales of compounded drugs under the false guise of 'personalization' and are disseminating deceptive marketing that put patient safety at risk." "We expected that the efforts towards compounding personalization would diminish over time. When we didn't see that, we had to make a choice on behalf of patients," said Dave Moore, Novo Nordisk's executive vice president of U.S. operations. An investigation found that the drugs sold were manufactured by foreign suppliers in China and the FDA never authorized or approved the processes used by any foreign suppliers, according to a report from the Brookings Institute. Novo Nordisk entered partnerships with telehealth companies after the FDA in April resolved its Wegovy shortage, concluding that Novo Nordisk is meeting the demand of this medicine. Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum said the company gives providers and patients choices in treatments. "Ultimately, what is right for them is their own discretion," he said. "I think we strongly believe it's really important that we maintain that independence." Novo Nordisk said it will continue offering the branded version of Wegovy through organizations that "share our commitment to safe and effective medical treatment for patients living with chronic diseases." "These medicines that are coming into our country from sources around the world are not even approved in those countries that they originated from, and it's a problem," Moore said. "U.S. patients should not be exposed to knock-off drugs made with unsafe and illicit foreign ingredients," said Novo Nordisk.
